Assistant Section Chief

Closing Date: 17th June, 2026

Description:

Job Description:
The Assistant Section Chief, along with the section's Senior Counsel for Appellate Matters, supervises the work of dozens of the section's staff attorneys on petition for review matters. These cases run the gamut from complex, multi-party challenges to high-profile national rules, to more limited challenges to regional, state and facility-specific actions. Historically, over fifty percent of Section petition for review cases have arisen under the Clean Air Act. While these petitions for review are filed in all the courts of appeals, the majority are typically filed in the D.C. Circuit.

The Assistant Section Chief's responsibilities include: direct supervision of the section's Senior Counsel for Appellate Matters; assigning legal casework to EDS staff attorneys; assuring appropriate staffing on each petition for review matter; providing legal, strategic and other guidance; ensuring compliance with all relevant Department of Justice policies; reviewing written briefs and other court filings for substantive accuracy and for consistency with positions in other litigation; determining settlement positions; and preparing attorneys for oral argument. The Assistant Section Chief may also work on select high profile petition for review matters directly. The Assistant Section Chief also provides advice and consultation to client agencies and DOJ leadership on significant environmental and administrative law issues and works closely with the Office of the Solicitor General on cases involving rehearing en banc and certiorari.

The Assistant Section Chief is responsible for annual attorney progress reviews and ratings, mentoring attorneys at all stages of their careers, and promoting the professional development of EDS attorneys. Responsibilities also include assisting the EDS Section Chief on non-litigation and administrative matters, and with overall management of the section.

Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and be a U.S. citizen or national. Applicants must have a minimum of 6 years post-J.D. or post clerkship litigation experience that includes significant federal litigation experience or substantive familiarity with the Administrative Procedure Act and natural resource statutes within the Section's jurisdiction.

The ideal candidate will have significant federal appellate litigation experience including the defense of agency actions under the Administrative Procedure Act; superior writing and editing skills; in-depth knowledge of the Clean Air Act and other pollution control statutes; expertise in the Administrative Procedure Act, the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, and other administrative law issues; ability to mentor and manage a legal and administrative staff to produce high-quality work under tight time frames; the ability to work cooperatively and effectively with EPA and other client agencies, other DOJ components, and opposing counsel; and a commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards. Experience leading or supervising attorneys in appellate litigation and experience with D.C. Circuit litigation is highly desirable.

Your Resume Must provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating.

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered

Salary:
The possible salary range for Washington D.C. is:

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